1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to collapsible containers for dispensing a product, and, more particularly, to a method for retaining a portion of such containers in a rolled-up configuration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dispensing a paste product, such as toothpaste, from a collapsible tube frequently, if not invariably, requires rolling-up, or folding-up, an end of the tube that is located furthest from an end of the tube which dispenses the paste. Years ago, such tubes were made exclusively from a soft metal that would take and hold a xe2x80x9cset.xe2x80x9d Once one end of such a soft metal tube had been rolled-up or folded, the tube would retain the rolled-up configuration. Presently, many such tubes are made from a polymeric material that is more resilient than the material used for metal tubes. That is, such plastic tubes do not take and hold a xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d as well as the metallic tubes.
For certain individuals, the resiliency of present tubes presents an insurmountable problem. Specifically, a physically handicapped individual who has the use of only one hand may be unable to dispense a paste from a partially empty, resilient, polymeric material tube. While such an individual may, using only one hand, be able to roll-up or fold-up a resilient, polymeric material tube, upon releasing the tube it immediately unrolls thereby frustrating an attempt to dispense the product from the tube.
While the preceding problem may be most exacerbating when dispensing a paste from a tube, an analogous problem arises in holding closed plastic product bags, such as snack food bags, that are also made from a resilient polymeric material. In both instances, resilient, polymeric material must be retained in a rolled-up configuration. The most significant difference in retaining a roll of resilient, polymeric material of a tube or of a bag is that, a bag must be unrolled and rerolled each occasion product is removed from the bag. Conversely, in principle a tube need never be unrolled, and the tube need be further rolled-up only intermittently as product is dispensed from the opposite end of the tube.
While it may be readily apparent that mechanically retaining a rolled-up end of a tube or bag addresses the preceding difficulties, the form for and method of using such a mechanical retainer is not readily apparent. In both of the preceding situations, but particularly when dispensing a paste product from a tube, the mechanical retainer must accommodate an ever larger roll of polymeric material as the tube or bag retains ever less product. Moreover, such polymeric tube or bag materials are slick which permits them to easily slip out of simple, common mechanical retainers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration that may be easily installed or removed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration that does not inadvertently slip off.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration that does not cut or scratch the product container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration that may be performed using only one hand.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an economic method and device for retaining a product container in a rolled-up or folded-up configuration.
Briefly, the present invention includes both a method and device for retaining, in a rolled-up configuration, a portion of a collapsible container that holds a quantity of a product. The method includes forming at least a portion of a collapsible container holding a quantity of a product into a convoluted roll. A U-shaped clip, having a thick inner layer of a resilient, open-cell foam material bonded to a much thinner, continuous, outer structural layer of a flexible material, is slipped about the convoluted roll. The layer of structural material, which supports the foam material, includes a pair of opposing, spaced-apart arms that are joined to each other by a juncture segment of the layer of structural material located at a base of the U-shaped clip. The inner layer of foam material substantially fills a gap located between the opposing, spaced-apart arms of the U-shaped clip. The opposing, spaced-apart arms provide an opening between ends thereof, that extend away from the base of the U-shaped clip, which is adapted for admitting a convoluted roll of a collapsible container between the opposing, spaced-apart arms. When the convoluted roll is disposed between the spaced-apart arms, the foam material becomes juxtaposed with and compresses to conform to the convoluted roll.
These and other features, objects and advantages will be understood or apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the various drawing figures.